Editing Crabfolk (section)

==A Crustacean History==
Crabfolk debuted under the name '''Crabmen''' in the original [[Fiend Folio]] for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition. Crabfolk are given very little lore here, although they ''did'' get a full-page bonus art piece depicting several crabfolk kicking the ass of a typical [[adventurer]] party for some reason. It is noted that they largely live peaceful existences, but sporadically go on rampages where bands of 30-40 will go tearing inland to pillage neighboring communities. They are also ''fanatical'' collectors of silver and will do anything to get it; even attacking those suspected of carrying it. [[Sahuagin]] consider them a delicacy, although hunting them is tricky, because the usual net-based subdual tactics don't work too well on a race with what are effectively giant scissors for hands.

Although they didn't debut in ''[[White Dwarf]]'', [[Fiend Factory]] will reveal unto them a god with a stupid name: T'Ka-Boolk'na. It could [[Blibdoolpoolp|be worse]], we suppose.

Crabfolk were updated to AD&D 2nd edition in the Monstrous Manual, which expanded upon their lore. It describes the crabfolk as primitive hunter-gatherers, not too different to giant crabs outside of the whole bipedalism thing; crabfolk spend most of their days hunting for food, which largely amounts to scavenging along the beach and eating anything even remotely edible they come across. They even stuff gobs of sand in their mouths so they can suck out all the algae and little wriggly things before spitting out the compacted balls; just like real crabs, piles of these sand balls is a good indication of crabfolk being near. Males are often brightly colored, whilst females are typically reddish-brown, green or black - some males grow disproportionate pincers, which do more damage. They are largely peaceful, but also highly xenophobic; they can't speak humanoid languages and humanoids can't speak their language without magic, so generally they just want to be left alone. The rampages of 1st edition are now explained as a result of starvation; when food sources get too low or the population gets too high, crabfolk begin aggressively attacking all other creatures in the area, including humanoids and other crabfolk tribes, until the food issue is solved one way or another. They gained a surprising artistic taste, producing things like seaweed weavings, driftwood carvings, and seashell constructions, which tend to be brittle and naturally short-lived, but can fetch a pretty penny. They still go absolutely mad for silver, but now they can't tell one silvery metal from another, so they'll go just as crazy for platinum and steel.

Another major 2e source of lore is the article "Heroes of the Sea" in [[Dragon Magazine]] #250, which presented crabfolk as a playable race alongside [[Koalinth]]s, [[Locathah]]s, [[Malenti]], [[Merfolk]], [[Pahari]], [[Selkie]]s, [[Vodyanoi]], and [[Liminal]]s. However, the lore here is largely identical to that seen in the Monstrous Manual, mostly expanding it with the idea that crabfolk tribes are nomadic and migrate with the seasons. It does point players to the adventuyre "Back to the Beach" in [[Dungeon Magazine]] #50 for a great portrayal of crabfolk culture.

Unless you count the [[Yurian]]s (see below), crabfolk vanished from D&D after 2nd edition until the semi-official [[splatbook]] known as [[Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio]] Volume 1 was released for [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]]. Here called ''Crab Folk'', they are stated to be the result of a coastal [[hag]] (a green hag, surprisingly, rather than the native sea hag) who found her [[ogre]] minions to be so incredibly inept at being useful for her that she [[fleshcrafting|spliced them with crabs]] and tinkered with their brains to try and make them more useful. Their lore is largely identical the 2e version, save for the intense focus on being so primitive and isolationist, and the emphasis on tying so much of their behavior to their creator's tinkering. Why do crabfolk collect silver? Because their hag mistress was obsessed with the stuff. Why do crabfolk spontaneously launch raiding parties? Because when their mistress was alive, at the cusp of summer and autumn, she would send her seagull [[familiar]] to rouse her minions to war; now, if a seagull lands near a crabfolk lair and utters the right combination of cries at that time of year, the old programming kicks in and they go on the rampage. Ironically, these crabfolk are far more docile and gentle-natured than their ogre ancestors, and would not bother anybody. Also, mention is made of the fact that their mistress loved to use the guise of a regal [[hobgoblin]] queen (which you could easily change to a [[koalinth]] queen), and that such an individual might be able to take advantage of the still-resonant loyalty programmed into the entire race.